Attorney: Casey Anthony rejected early plea deal

MIAMI (AP) - Casey Anthony's attorney says he originally considered whether she should plead guilty to a lesser charge to avoid the death penalty if convicted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.

In his just-released book "Presumed Guilty, Casey Anthony: The Inside Story," attorney Jose Baez wrote that prosecutors offered the Orlando mother a plea deal in 2008. He told The Associated Press this week that Anthony "would not entertain it for a second."

Anthony was acquitted last summer of all charges except for four misdemeanors of lying to investigators.

Two-year-old Caylee went missing in the summer of 2008. Her body was found in December 2008 in a wooded area near the Anthony home.

Baez declined to comment on what Anthony is doing or how often they talk. Her probation ends Aug. 21.